22 January 2010

Cinnamon Fairy Cakes

These brown sugar cinnamon fairy cakes, are (I must admit) very similar to the salted caramel cupcakes I made last week. Now there's a reason for that - I just added a couple of teaspoons of cinnamon to the batter and icing recipes and omitted the caramel drizzle... yeah, I'm lazy and I have no problem with that! In fact, the recipe is so similar it barely warrants reposting... but the cupcakes were really yummy. :)

The icing was a bit of a flop, too - literally - I tried reducing the butter in the Swiss Meringue Buttercream... still tasted lovely, but it was far too soft. It needs the correct ratio of butter to give the SMBC its texture. Still- that's how we learn!

For the cupcakes:Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 180°C. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper or foil liners.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the sugars and butter together until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk in 2 additions, beating on low speed until just combined; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20-22 minutes (Mine were done at 40 minutes). Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.

ButtercreamIn a large, clean heatproof bowl, combine the egg whites and sugar. Set the bowl over (but not touching) simmering water in a saucepan and heat the mixture, whisking constantly, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture is very warm to the touch. Remove the bowl from the saucepan. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg white mixture until it is fluffy, cooled to room temperature, and holds stiff peaks (the mixture should not look dry), about 6 minutes.

With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the salt and the butter, a few pieces at a time, beating well after each addition. If the icing appears to separate or is very liquid after all the butter is added, continue to beat on high speed until it is smooth and creamy, 3-5 minutes more. Add the cinnamon, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.